How to not clean your roof

Manchester-based roofing firm IQ Roofing Solutions was the subject of court action after a serious breach of health and safety regulations. A man working for the firm was pictured in a recent article on the Daily Mail website jet-washing a roof of a home in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, in June 2013 without the appropriate scaffolding, meaning that the worker was risking his life, and possibly the lives of others.

As a result, Managing Director of the firm, Stuart Bell, was ordered to pay £3000 in fines and to contribute an extra £2000 towards the cost of prosecution due to the actions of his employee, who was cleaning moss and other debris from the roof as a precursor to the main work being undertaken, when the photograph was taken.

An investigator from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the site in question after a passer-by informed them of the safety breach, who immediately issued a Prohibition Notice until the appropriate scaffolding had been put in place around the edge of the roof to protect the worker from slipping from the wet roof.

During the case, which was heard at Trafford Magistrates’ Court, it was determined that the firm’s Managing Director was aware of the lack of safety precautions in place at the site, as he had in fact visited the site that very morning. The company was also unable to provide proof that it held Employers’ Liability Insurance, which it is obliged to hold under English law to provide compensation for workers in the event that an injury is incurred at work.

The company had previously been served with a Prohibition Notice back in 2011 for similar reasons.

Such scant regard for health and safety regulations is all too common in the construction and roofing industries. So, if you in Barnsley and want roofing services that you can trust, choose us for our impeccable reputation and safety record. If you need a new roof, or you need roof repairs to be undertaken, please call now on 01226 920061.